Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Lot o' love

Apparently, a group of "let's put on a play in the barn"-type kids are organizing an event in the empty lot across the street from me, the lot that was supposed to have been turned into a new mega-station for police, but which sits empty because the ground is full of arsenic, or rather some highly toxic industrial byproduct from the days when the factories on Lansdowne were used to make all kinds of nasty crap. Perfect place for a party!

To quote the invite:

You are also welcome to contribute to the Land of the Lost structurally, by building a fort or whatsoever your little heart desires.

This is not art or a “partee” per se but an exercise in relational aesthetics. Relational aesthetics is cultural practice based on inter-human relations.

From that, I'm guessing the place will be filled with a bunch of ten-year-olds with cultural studies degrees.

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Nice things said:

"Whitlock is an assured writer with a patient comic touch." – The National Post

“His characters propel the action, calling attention to narrative style only with metaphor and image – which are always arresting, always right ...an absorbing read.” – The Globe and Mail

"Whitlock's second novel slyly masks immense depth of character and emotion behind wry humor and a simple story about seemingly uncomplicated people . . . Whitlock shows that characters don't need to be flashy to be interesting, just written well." — Publishers Weekly (US)

"You might call Nathan Whitlock’s sense of humour the gallows kind: he readily locates the brutal and exposes its ridiculous underside. Not that he makes fun of his characters’ small, damaged lives—too much, anyway. Instead, he opens them up to reveal their working—and broken—parts.” — The Winnipeg Review

“Congratulations on Everything is a wonderfully complicated story about small but big ambitions, full of surprising, bittersweet twists. Expect some great laughs. Do yourself a favour: Get this book!” — Jowita Bydlowska, author of Drunk Mom: A Memoir

“Whitlock’s fast and funny novel explores lives that may look small from the outside but are vast and infinitely redeemable.” — Katrina Onstad, author of Everybody Has Everything

“Possibly the most entertaining book ever written about a decent guy committing self-sabotage. Reminds me of Russell Banks at his best.” — Cary Fagan, author of Bird’s Eye and My Life Among the Apes

“A funny, sad guided tour of the private hell that is owning a bar or restaurant. The best novel I’ve read all year.” — Corey Mintz, author of How to Host a Dinner Party